Turning the Magic Triangle into Capability
Germany, the Baltic States and Ukraine bring different strengths to Europe’s defence industry. Germany contributes industrial depth and engineering expertise. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania add proximity, specialist companies and agility. Ukraine brings battlefield-driven innovation and hard-won operational knowledge.
The Magic Triangle connects these complementary strengths. It is already taking shape in joint projects, testing, production and procurement. The opportunity now is to build on what works: helping promising technologies move from operational need to tested product and from product to reliable industrial output.
This issue explores several parts of that transformation. Estonia’s ARX Robotics is advancing autonomous ground vehicles towards military use, with robots increasingly able to take on tasks that put soldiers at risk. In Latvia, Patria looks at how armoured vehicles are adapting to modern warfare—and what that means for defence production in the Baltics. Lithuania’s UDS is developing drones and SwarmC2 technology for contested environments, while addressing a challenge shared across Europe: turning innovation into scalable industrial production.
Together, these stories show that defence innovation is not only about new technology. It also depends on rigorous testing, production capacity and cross- border cooperation. That is the practical promise of the Magic Triangle—and the question at the heart of this issue.
Enjoy your read!
Florian Schröder
Chief Executive Officer, AHK Baltic States